We asked women: Would you date a man who wore makeup?

We asked men and women can a manly man wear makeup? and we also asked women ‘would you date a man who wears makeup’ and their answers were extremely insightful about the different ways men and women view and attempt to understand masculinity.

When asked the question ‘can a manly man wear makeup?’ many women seemed to have a rather liberal view, thinking that men as a whole should be able to wear makeup just as much as women are whether they are ‘manly men’ or feminine men. One said that men want to cover up insecurities such as bad scars and bad skin etc and they have the right to do so just as women do. One woman actually said that makeup can be used to express yourself and men have every right to express themselves just as women do.

As a whole, women also seemed a lot more accepting to the idea of gay men wearing makeup, placing them in a different category to ‘manly men’. One woman said she has a gay friend who does his makeup better than she does her own and she would never think differently because of this. However, this female also said that she wouldn’t be attracted to a man that wore makeup and so feels bad confessing that it’s only ok for gay men to wear makeup but not straight men. However, she went on to say that she believes even if it was ‘acceptable’, she doesn’t believe straight men would wear makeup.

However, when it came to strictly men that women are dating wearing makeup, almost all women seemed to believe that men should only wear natural makeup and should avoid the use of ‘dramatic makeup’ as this would put the women off, in a way.

Subtle and natural makeup seems to be the way to go, with one woman saying that she believes subtle makeup should be ok as we live in a ‘metro-sexual society’. A man that takes care of himself may even be more attractive than one who has seemingly low personal hygiene and no interest in his personal appearance and demeanour.

For example, many women said they are fine with their boyfriends dying their beards and filling them in with eye liner, in fact they found that quite funny. They also agreed that men can wear lip balm and shape their eyebrows but any further than that and it begins to look unnatural, which is a no go. With one female explaining: ‘It depends how much makeup but if it is just to cover imperfections then it’s ok’. Another woman said that she wouldn’t date someone who wears makeup all the time but her husband does wear makeup to cover up blemishes, although he would never tell his friends that.

However, if men were to wear colourful makeup, mascara and lipstick: the women would disapprove. ‘I wouldn’t date a man who wore eye makeup, i’d find that quite weird’. A few women actually completely wrote the idea of men wearing makeup off without even having a second to imagine what their significant male other may look like with a bit of bronzer. One said: ‘I think it’s all a bit weird men wearing make up’.

One woman, on the other hand, said she doesn’t mind a man who has shaped eyebrows, manicures and pedicures and takes care of their appearance. Such as shaves and has good personal grooming and hygiene.

It seems the issue women have with men that they date wearing makeup is more to do with the fact that wearing makeup may signal that their boyfriend is struggling with a type of gender identity issue, as they would find that challenging to deal with as a whole. So they would rather go for a guy that wasn’t experimenting with his sexuality and cross dressing as one said, ‘I would rather date a guy that didn’t have any qualms with gender but also as a whole, no qualms or complications with anything’.

They also said that if certain men were to wear makeup they would perceive them as a lot more vain than other men, it seems like more vanity than a feminine thing. It also seems to be something that celebrities on reality TV shows and manly male models can get away with doing, due to their profession.

But despite women’s lack of love for mens makeup, many said that it is not up to them to stop a man from doing what he wants to do. They can do what they want, it’s just that women may be less attracted to those that do wear makeup.

So as a whole, many women seem to suggest that they wouldn’t date men that wore heavy makeup but don’t think differently of men that choose to. Many women said they have male friends that wear a full face of makeup, however, if a boyfriend wanted to they just wouldn’t like it.